The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-10-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Preacher Occupies
"Unoccupied Fields
An Eloquent Discourse Upon Skepticism,
the Reasons for Its Existence and
the Salvation of UnbeIievers-
The Church's Mission.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmags took for the
subject of a recent discourse in the Brook
Iyn Tabernacle "Unoccupied Fields"
predicating his remarks on the following
text:
Lest I should build upon another mans
foundation.
DR.. Talmage said: Stirring reports
come from all parts of America showing
what great work the churches of God
are doing and I congratulate them and
their pastors. Misapprehensions have
been going the rounds saying that the
outside benevolences of this particular
church are neglected, when the fact is
that large sums of money are being
raised in various ways by this church for
all styles of good objects, not always
through the boards of our own denomina-
ton. This church was built by all denom-
nations of Christians and by many sec
tions of this land and other lands, and
this obligation has led us to raise money
for many objects not connected with our
denomination, and this accounts for the
fact that we have not regularly contrib
uted to all the boards commended. But
I rejoice in that you have done as
church q magnificent work, and am
grateful that we have received during the
year, by confession Iof faith in Christ,
seven hundred twenty five souls, which
fact I mention not in boasting, but in de-
fense of this church, showing 1t has
been neither idle nor inefficient. The most
of our accessiOns have been from the out
side world, SO that, taking the idea of my
text, we have not been building on other
peoples foundations
In LAYING out the plan of his missionary
tour, Paul sought out towns and cities
which had not yet been pr cached to. He
goes to Corinth, q city mentioned for
splendOr and vice, and Jerusalem, where
the priesthood and the Sanhedrim were
ready to leap with both feet upon the
Christian religion. He feels he has espe-
cial work to do, and he means to do it.
What was the result? The grandest life
of usefulness that a man ever lived. We
modern Christian workers are not apt to
initiate Paul. We build on other peoples
foundations. If we erect a church we
prefer to have it filled with families, all of
whom have been pious. Do we gather
Sabbath-schOOl class, we want good boys
and girls, hair combed, faces wash
ed, manners attractive. So
church in this day is apt to
be built out of other churches. Some min
listers spend all their time in fishing in
other peoples ponds, and they throw the
line into that church pond and jerk out a
Methodist, and throw the line into another
church pond and bring out a Presbyterian,
or there is a religious row in some neigh
boring church, and a whole school Of fish
swim off from that pond, and we take
them all in with one sweep of the net
What is gainedl Absolutely nothing for
the general cause of Christ. 1t is only as
in an army, when a regiment is trans
ferred from one division to another, from
the Tennessee to the Potomac.
W hat Strengthens the army is new re-
cruits. What I have always desired is
that while we are courteous to those com
ing from other Aocks, we build our church,
not out of other churches, but out of the
world, lest we build on another mans
foundation. The fact IS, this is a big
world. When, in our schoolboy days, we
learned the diameter and circumference
of this planet, we did not learn half. 1t
is the latitude and longitude, and di-
ameter and circumference Of
want, and woe, and sin, that
no figures can calculate. This one
spiritual continent of wretchedness
reaches across all zones, and if were
called to give its geographical boundary,
/ would say it is bounded on the north and
south and east and west by the great heart
of Gods sympathy and love. Oh, it is a
great world. Since six O'Clock this morn
ing 60, 800 persons have been born, and all
these multiplied populations are to be
reached of the Gospel In England, or in
our Eastern American cities, we are being
much crowded, and an acre of ground is
of great value, but out West five hundred
acres is a small farm, and fifty thousand
acres is no unusual possession. There is
a vast field here and everywhere unOccu-
pied, plenty of room more, not building
ON another mans foundation.
We need as churches to stop bonn bard
ing the old iron-clad sinners that have
been proof against thirty years of Christ
ian assault. Alas for that church which
lacks the spirit of evangelism, spending
on one chandelier enough to light five
hundred souls to glory, and in one carved
pillar enough to have made a thousand
men pillars in the house of our God for
ever" and doing less good than many log
cabin meeting house with tallow candles
stuck in wooden sockets, and a minister
who has never seen a college, or known
the difference between Greek and Choc-
taw. We need as churches to get into
sympathy with the great outside world,
and let them know that none are so
broken-hearted that they will not be well
coined.
"Now says some fastidious Christian,
81 don't like to be crowded in church.
DON'T put any one in my pew" Ny broth
er what will you do in Heaven? When a
great multitude that no man can number
assemblies, they will put fifty in your pew.
What are the select few to-day assembled
in the Christian churches compared with
the mightier millions outside of them,
eight hundred thousand in Brooklyn, but
less than one hundred thousand in the
churches? Many of the churches are like
a hospital that should advertise that its
patients must have nothing worse than
toothache or "run-rounds," but no broken
heads, no crushed ankles, no fractured
thighs. Give US for treatment moderate
sinners, velvet-coated sinners, and sinners
with a gloss on. 1t is as though a man
had farm of three thousand acres, and
put all his work on one acre. He may
raise never so large ears of corn, never
so large heads of wheat, he would
remain Door. The Church of God has
bestowed its chief care on one acre, and
has raised splendid men and women in
that small inclosure, but the field is the
world. That means North and South
America, Europe, Asia and Africa, and
all the islands of the sea.
1t is as though after a great battle there
were left fifty thousand wounded and dy-
ing on the field, and three surgeons gave
al their time TO three patients under their
charge. The Major-General comes in and
says to the doctors; ''Come out here and
look at the nearly fifty thousand dying
for lack Of surgical attendance"
NO." say the three doctors, standing
there tanning their patients, ''we have
three important cases here, and we are
attending TO them. and when we are not
positively busy with their wounds it takes
all our time to keep the flies of"
In this awful battle Of sin and sorTow,
where millions have fallen on Millions do
not let US spend all our time in taking
care OF few people, and when the COM
rnand comes: ECO into the world" say
practically: mo, j can not 90; I have
here a few choice cases. and am busy
keeping or the flies There are multi
tudes to-day who have never had any
Christian worker look them 10 tie eye,